You Are Not in Control When Alcohol Is in Control
I want to talk to you about something that is easy to ignore: alcohol. For most of us, drinking has become so normal that we don’t even question it anymore. We drink when we celebrate. We drink when we are with friends. We drink when the weekend arrives. We drink when life has been difficult and we need to “take the edge off.” And somewhere along the way, we convince ourselves that we are still in control.
But are we?
I want you to think about that honestly. When you drink, something changes. Your judgment changes. Your reactions change. Your inhibitions become weaker. You may say things you would never normally say. You may do things you would never normally do. You may become someone your family and friends don’t recognize.
And sometimes, you don’t even remember what happened. That is what a blackout can do. You can be awake, talking, walking around and interacting with people, yet your brain may not be properly forming memories of what is happening. The next morning, you wake up and somebody tells you what you did, and you can’t remember.
That should make us stop and think. If something can change the way I behave and leave me unable to remember what I did, can I honestly say that I was completely in control?
I don’t believe the real question is simply whether drinking is “allowed” or whether somebody can have a drink without being considered a bad person. The deeper question is this: Who is in control of your life?
Because something can start as a choice and eventually become a master. At first, you choose the drink. Then you start looking forward to the drink. Then you need the drink. Eventually, you may find yourself organizing your life around the drink. And when you try to stop, you discover that what you thought you controlled has actually been controlling you.
The Bible has a remarkably direct way of talking about this. Proverbs 20:1 says, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” That word “deceived” stands out to me, because that is how these things can work. We tell ourselves that everything is fine. We tell ourselves that we can stop whenever we want. We tell ourselves that everybody else drinks, so there can’t really be a problem. But sometimes the person we are deceiving is ourselves.
Maybe alcohol isn’t your problem. Maybe it’s something else. Maybe there is something you reach for whenever life becomes too difficult. Something that helps you escape your thoughts. Something that changes the way you feel. Something that makes you forget for a few hours.
And this is where the DRY Challenge becomes bigger than simply saying, “Don’t drink.” We are challenging ourselves to take a serious look at anything that has started taking control of our behavior. Because I don’t want to live my life being controlled by a substance. I don’t want to need something outside of myself just to feel normal. I don’t want to wake up wondering what I said, what I did or who I hurt.
I want clarity. I want freedom. I want to be able to look at my life and know that I am making my decisions with a clear mind.
So here is the challenge: one year. One entire year without alcohol and without substances that you know can take control of your behavior. Not a week. Not a month. Not until the next party. One year.
I know that sounds like a long time. But perhaps that is exactly the point. If the thought of going one year without something makes you uncomfortable, maybe that is worth examining.
This isn’t about proving that you are stronger than somebody else. It isn’t about judging people who drink. And it certainly isn’t about pretending that changing your life is easy. It is about asking yourself a very simple question: “Am I actually free?”
You may discover that giving something up is easy. You may discover that it is incredibly difficult. Either way, you will learn something about yourself.
I also don’t want this to become another challenge where people are told to simply “try harder.” Some people are fighting battles that nobody else can see. Some people have been using alcohol or substances for years to cope with pain, loneliness, disappointment, trauma or things they don’t know how to talk about.
You don’t overcome everything by simply making a decision one morning. Sometimes you need somebody beside you. Somebody to talk to. Somebody to pray with you. Somebody who will listen without immediately judging you.
That is part of what AWTOMAI is about.
ONE LOST.
One person matters. One life matters. And if you are the person who feels lost right now, I want you to know that being trapped does not mean you have to remain trapped.
The Bible says, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” — John 8:36
Freedom isn’t just about putting down a bottle. It is about getting your life back. Your clarity. Your relationships. Your choices. Your future.
So I am making this challenge personal.
One year.
No alcohol. No substance that takes control of your behavior. One year of finding out what life looks like when you are no longer allowing something else to make your decisions for you. Maybe this is the year you discover that you are stronger than you thought. Maybe this is the year you finally admit that you need help.
Either way, don’t hide from the truth. Face it. Talk about it. Take the first step toward freedom.
And if you need prayer or simply need somebody to talk to, you don’t have to do it alone.